For those who have consciously chosen a childfree lifestyle, pet parenting has emerged as a genuine substitute for the traditional family setup, or so I thought. But after speaking with six pet parents/owners/adopters, my hypothesis was not exactly correct. According to Redseer, India's pet care market is on a meteoric rise, projected to hit multi-billion-dollar figures soon. In fact, a Mars Petcare Global Survey reveals that 70% of first-time pet owners in India are Gen Z, signaling a seismic shift in priorities. 

I know many people in my circle both personal and professional, embracing furry companionship wholeheartedly. Not being a pet person myself, I learnt a bunch of things from these 6 folks with pets, but one thing stood out very clearly and I was pleasantly satisfied by this development. The following part of the article will showcase first voice perspective pet parenting

Adarsh Loyal - Has two cats

The idea of a pet developed more as a functional purpose than a paternal one. I shifted to Mumbai and living in a studio apartment with my friend and there was a rat problem, so we got a cat. And guess what it helped. But over time the cat became a part of our lives and decided to get one more to keep the first one company. Then my friend got married and move out. They wanted to take one cat with them, which I was not ok with, either you take both or none, don’t separate them. So I ended up with both. As years passed, the sense of treating life with sanctity was something that got developed and I got more responsible towards them. During the COVID years we became the best of friends. Do I feel like a parent? Not exactly. The thing about bringing up a child is a massive responsibility and reflects back on you as a parent, something I am not ready for.

Susmita Biswas – Has a dog

Having a pet is not a complete substitute to human parenting but it is a substitute for care giving alone. The paternal instinct that you have, a pet gives you. Being a parent is a just a lot different than pet parenting because you learn and you grow with your child. With a pet your experiences are very different, for instance you need to be so much more perceptive to your pets requirements because a pet cannot express as a child might. There are no common communicative methods till the entire lifetime of the pet and that is why it is so important to build this language between the pet and parent/owner. I also believe that a pet chooses his/her human and that is why that bond the responsibility towards each other is so special and palpable.

Rahul Mandal - has a pet dog

Getting a pet was a pretty spontaneous decision for me in 2016. In my case you can say that bracing yourself for responsibility precedes getting a pet but in my case it was the opposite. My dog came first and then followed all the responsibilities towards him - feeding, potty training, walks, playtime and many more things that you don’t realise. Now that I am married and both of us are working, the responsibilities increase but so does our emotional quotient. I am very clear that I don’t want to be a parent, but does that make me a pet parent? No it doesn’t. My dog is a friend and that is how we have built a bond of companionship. The idea is that I have someone to care for, be responsible towards and if that brings out certain paternal instincts then so be it. 

Smita DeSouza - has a pet cat

I am never going to have a kid, my husband and I are very clear about that. But for a pet, I was open to that idea and opportunity came to me during COVID, to adopt a cat and not just any cat, I had my eye on a very specific cat. She was part of a litter and I really wanted her. But I was petrified that what if something happens to the cat? What if I can’t manage and give her back? I did a lot of research - pros and cons; regrets and bests and finally I decided to go for it. Kopi, my cat is my child because all her personality traits are like mine, she’s like a mini me and that’s why I feel like a pet parent. I would not spoil a human child but Kopi I love to spoil. She brings me so much joy but she also brings me pain because in my mind she will always be a child, a little toddler even when she is all grown up. I have this theory that even though I chose this pet, I am convinced that the pet chooses the human.

Antara Anand - has a pet dog

I grew up in a house with pets, so I was always used to them because both my parents also grew up with pets. Personally, pets are not a replacement for human kids. I don’t feel maternal instincts towards my dog, because he is my friend and that’s why there is no reason to treat him as a kid. A human child needs a lot of attention but before you even reach that stage there is a lot of thinking in terms of finances, mental and physical readiness. But for a pet, there is not so much to think, at least from my perspective because I have always been used to pets. You can train a pet to be alone but with kids you can’t before a certain age.

Samidha Karalkar - has a pet cat

As a couple we really liked animals, but as kids both me and my husband were not allowed to have pets. So we got this opportunity to adopt a cat and honestly it was not an easy decision to make because I immediately started to think of all the responsibilities attached to caring of a pet - How much will it cost month-on-month? What does a cat eat? What about toilet training? What happens when nobody is at home? It just felt like planning for a baby and we want to have kids some day. So this felt like a great opportunity for us to adopt a cat. Now when I look back I feel as pet parents we have come a long way. This cat can’t even communicate and yet we just understand each other so well. Today I can confidently say that I know what responsibility feels like for someone you care for and thanks to that realisation my husband and I are not ready for a child.

Pet parenting is a norm you choose to accept after you realise the depth of responsibilities. One point I took away from all the conversations is that true of essence of responsibility and care giving towards the pet comes through only once you start living with them, befriending them, loving them and that is just a beautiful thing to realise.